If you think tequila is to be slammed down quickly as a shot, think again: this award-winner oozes vanilla and herb aromas, and is smooth enough to be sipped, as well as forming the basis of some winning cocktails. They’ve been making it for 200 years, which must mean they’re doing something right.

No festive occasion is complete without a little bit of bubbly and for a great champagne why not try this delicious Cuvée Trianon from the award-winning champagne house, Roger-Constant Lemaire. It's the perfect tipple for a festive breakfast Bucks Fizz, for a Christmas toast at dinner or to enjoy with friends at a yuletide soirée.

Method: Place all of the ingredients into a pan and heat to a rolling simmer (stirring occasionally) for around 10 minutes to fuse the flavours fully. Carefully pour the resulting liquid into two coffee glasses and garnish with a twist of orange peel, orange slice studded with cloves and a cinnamon stick to use as a stirrer.

Grey Goose Deluxe Box

£33.50 per 70cl bottle available from all major supermarkets

The Deluxe box comes complete with a recipe for a classic Grey Goose Martini on the inside.

Here we can help bring a touch of festive fizz to your Christmas gathering with another wonderful cocktail recipe:

Method: Shake over ice then strain into a flute, serve topped with ice cold soda

Johnnie Walker Blue Porsche Cube

RRP £490 from Harrods and selected retailers

This car lover and whiskey lover's perfect combination will certainly make this Christmas a special one. The Cube, designed by Porsche, is made from brushed stainless steel and has a leather trim and features an ice chiller, tongs and four crystal glasses making it a tasty tipple and a great gift in one.

Zacapa

Available exclusively from Selfridges from £65

Why not treat your taste buds this Christmas to one of the finest rums in the world? For those who like the finer things in life, this Ron Zacapa gift box, complete with two bespoke tasting glasses, is the perfect Christmas present.

Spiced Caribbean rum distilled in Trinidad & Tobago from sweet molasses and aged and enriched with exotic spices including cinnamon, ginger and clove.

Johnnie Walker Red Label

£21.99 from selected supermarkets throughout the UK.

Perfect for whisky lovers, this special Christmas Pack contains two complementary bespoke tumblers embossed with the famous Johnnie Walker striding man, along with a bottle of the world renowned whisky.

Grand Marnier

£29.99 from Harvey Nichols and Selfridges for the special edition (regular edition Gran Marnier available from all major supermarkets)

According to certain members of the family, it’s not the festive season without a glass or two of Grand Marnier. The classic oak-finished blend of cognacs is a winter warmer that’s hard to beat, with its trademark essence of oranges a suitably Christmas-y note. The limited edition packaging is rather stylish too. And here's a perfect cocktail recipe to add a little sparkle to your Christmas:

Talisker is one of the finest single malts Scotland produces. If you’ve got a whisky lover in your life but don’t know which side of the fence they’re on, this special edition pack is a good compromise with a 20cl bottle, a Talisker glass and a hip flask.

Belvedere Vodka

£34.49 from selected retailers

Belvedere is one of the tip tops of the vodka world and they have partnered with Global Aids charity RED to launch a limited edition bottle - Belvedere (RED) with 50% donated to the RED charity.

Pocket Wine Book 2012 by Oz Clarke

Pavilion £9.99

A complete and essential A-Z guide to wine by one of Britains best-loved wine writers containing more than 1,600 entries and featuring over 7,500 wines from around the world)

Berberana Viña Alarde Gran Reserva 2003

£10.99 Majestic

Christmas dinner is an interesting one to match wines to. There are so many big flavours, too heavy a wine can clash – or send you to sleep long before the Queen’s Speech. This Gran Reserve Rioja is only made from the finest tempranillo grapes of the best vintages, and is aged for at least five years. It’s surprisingly light and silky, and a great complement to turkey.

Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum

£15-£17 available in all good supermarkets.

Captain Morgan Spiced, which takes its name from the famous British Buccaneer, is great for using as an ingredient in winter cocktails. The 35cl bottle makes a perfect stocking filler. The mellow, sweet, lightly spiced, heady drink is perfect for this time of year and a must-try for rum fans.

Most of our budgets don’t run to a Chatau d’Y’quem when it comes to dessert wines. Those in the know though – and now you – can always seek out a Château Suduiraut however. It’s a premier Cru Classe Sauternes and the vines border Y’quem. It’s a stunning dessert wine, from one of the world’s leading producers – and a fraction of the price you’d expect.

Good Pub Guide 2012

Ebury Press, £15.99

Tells you exactly what you need to know about britian's best watering-holes: how to get there, what to eat, whether children are welcome as well as wine and beer recommendations and even ideas for local walks

Cognac XO from 69 Colebrooke Row

£115 for a 70cl bottle, available from The Charles Lamb pub

Intense apricot, orange and pear flavours and a lingering tarte tatin finish make it the perfect Christmas drink for sipping and cocktails.

Deus Champagne Beer

£14 from Waitrose and other stockists

It's not the classic champagne but here’s a beer brewed in the same region, using the same “method Champenoise”. That means its fermented once, then shipped to France where the bottles are turned and gently tipped to remove the yeast. It takes a year but the results suggest it’s worth the effort - a light, fresh, elegant and lighly sparkling beer.

Whisky Classified by David Wishart

Pavilion, £16.99

Scottish whisky guru David Wishart presents the definitive guide to tasting malt whisky, covering over 100 single malt distilleries from Scotland and the rest of the UK and Ireland

Innis & Gunn Limited Edition Highland Cask from Edinburgh

£2.50 from Sainsburys

Acclaimed brewers Innis and Gunn have developed a winning habit of finishing their beers in old drinks casks, a practice also seen in the whisky industry. Logically, this latest beer uses old whisky casks. The result is strong - 7.1% abv – but mellow, a dark tan beer with hints of toffee, oak and fruity flavours.

Martin Miller’s gin is distilled using pure Icelandic spring water for the freshest, cleanest taste possible. The water is then infused with a range of 10 hand-picked botanicals and essential oils in a secret recipe, to create a unique creamy soft palate, unlike any other gin

Let Me Tell You About Beer by Melissa Cole

Pavillion £14.99

One of the UK’s leading beer experts covers the key essentials: how to choose, buy, serve and taste beer with confidence; beer and food matching; beer styles and flavours and over 200 recommended beers to try from around the world.

This festive treat is a special rum – a vanilla-infused, single estate, five-times-distilled incredibly smooth rum from Mauritius to be exact . The name comes from an endangered bird on the island as Pink Pigeon are a contributor to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. It’s a great base for Christmas and New Year cocktails.

A blend of Sipsmtih vodka and Dartmoor Damsons, this fruity vodka will provide warmth during the cold winter months.

Tio Pepe Sherry

£8.99 from all major retailers and most independent wine merchants

Christmas isn't Christmas without a spot of sherry... The rise of Spanish food in the UK has helped prove that sherry is no longer the sole property of elderly aunts and grandmothers. Served chilled, it’s a crisp delight, perfect against nibbles like salted crisps or almonds, and a perfect aperitif for the rich joys of Christmas lunch. Tio Pepe’s dryness means it also works well with spice – Turkey curry and sherry anyone?

Four Roses Single Barrel

£35.00 from all major supermarkets and stockists

When a whiskey scores 96.5 points in Jim Murray’s prestigious Whiskey Bible, you have to take notice. This year, Four Roses Single Barrel – with hints of ripe plum, cherry, cocoa and maple syrup - won Jim’s Best Bourbon category and finished in the Top 15, out of 4500 whiskies. Yes. Exactly.

For Christmas fizz, Taittinger is always worth considering with its light straw colour and soft bouquet of brioche, and a palate of depth and elegance. We’re loathe to call it a “breakfast champagne” but hey, it’s Christmas…